Dr. Thierry Marie Jahan is a world-class cancer surgeon and pleural mesothelioma specialist. He co-founded the Thoracic Oncology Program at the University of California San Francisco and helped develop it into a leading treatment center. Dr. Jahan has more than 30 years of experience and has won multiple awards for his work as a medical oncologist.
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Available for ChatDr. Thierry Jahan received his medical training in Washington before joining the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center. He has dedicated two decades of his career to treating patients diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. In 1994, alongside Dr. David Jablons, he co-founded and developed the Thoracic Oncology Program at UCSF.
As the principal investigator on several clinical trials, Dr. Jahan continually stays informed of promising new mesothelioma treatments and improved versions of existing ones.
In 2016, he was inducted into the UCSF Department of Medicine’s Council of Master Clinicians, described by the university as a “select group of outstanding physicians with exceptional knowledge, superior teaching and communication skills, and the ability to provide compassionate, appropriate, effective, and high-quality patient care.”
Dr. Jahan is much in demand as a mesothelioma specialist, but he is available to meet new patients and suggest a tailored treatment plan specific to their case.
A retired professor of medicine at UCSF, he currently treats patients at the university’s Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Jahan is well-known for many accomplishments:
Dr. Jahan has lived in France, the United States, and Venezuela. His inspiration to pursue oncology was realized at the age of 8 when he watched his mother recover from a serious illness.
“As an eight-year-old, I said, ‘I want to do what those doctors do: I want to give another kid his mom back.'”
The motivation to help others followed Dr. Jahan into adulthood. He began his medical education at Université de Paris V-René Descartes before transferring to the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York.
He earned his medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine. From there, Dr. Jahan moved to California to complete an internal medicine residency at UCLA Department of Medicine Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Dr. Jahan joined UCSF in 1994. Along with a fellow surgeon, he co-founded the UCSF Thoracic Oncology Program and has since developed it into one of the top programs of its kind in the world.
In addition to providing surgical options, the program operates a medical research center that runs clinical trials and offers promising new treatments to mesothelioma patients.
Dr. Jahan is a board-certified medical oncologist who specializes in thoracic cancers, including pleural mesothelioma.
“[At UCSF] we offer solutions and possibilities. I tell patients, ‘This is what the average patient can expect, but I’m shooting for the good side of the bell curve.’ I empower them to make decisions about how they want to face their disease.”
When working with mesothelioma patients, Dr. Jahan considers each case individually to suggest an optimal treatment plan that is unique to each person. He is known for treating pleural mesothelioma in a multimodal approach that combines surgery with chemotherapy, radiation, and any other possible options.
Some of these treatment suggestions arise from the groundbreaking clinical trials and medical research undertaken by the medical oncology group led by Dr. Jahan. He also investigates different combinations of mesothelioma treatments to determine which combinations work best in different scenarios.
Dr. Jahan has treated pleural mesothelioma patients from all around the world. His multimodal treatments have proven successful in extending patients’ lives and reducing painful mesothelioma symptoms.
As a principal investigator of various clinical trials, Dr. Jahan continually pursues new information about groundbreaking treatment options and combinations that may work better for certain patients.
His namesake award — the Dr. Thierry Jahan “A Breath Away from the Cure” Award — recognizes excellence in oncology.
Dr. Jahan’s awards and honors include:
With more than 30 years of service in the field of medicine, Dr. Jahan’s current work at UCSF includes:
As a well-respected medical researcher and oncologist, Dr. Jahan has contributed more than 50 journal articles and book chapters.
He is an established media contact for newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and television networks airing content about mesothelioma and other thoracic cancers. Publications such as Time magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle have interviewed Dr. Jahan in order to capture his expert perspectives.
Dr. Jahan is well-regarded for the empathy he demonstrates to his patients while they seek treatment, especially as he lost his father to mesothelioma.
“That experience was painful but extraordinarily informative. I have a pretty good idea of what patients and families go through, and it helped shape how I do things.”
Dr. Jahan’s commitment to compassion is just one aspect of his multimodal treatment approach. By delivering promising news that medical advancements allow patients to “live longer, live better,” they can go through their treatment with a sense of hope.
Mesothelioma Hope has no affiliation with and is not endorsed or sponsored by Dr. Thierry Jahan. Any contact information listed is for informational purposes only. You have the right to contact Dr. Thierry Jahan directly.
Written by:Laura WrightLaura Wright is a journalist and content strategist with more than 14 years of professional experience. She attended college at the University of Florida, graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2008. Her writing has been featured in The Gainesville Sun and other regional publications throughout Florida.
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